1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shelf assembly in general and more specifically one that can be pulled down to obtain access to items on the shelf.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been numerous attempts made to gain access to contents of a shelf that is out of reach of a person. Some of the related patents are:
U.S. Pat. No. 589,318 to Tabb describes a removable shelf in case of fire, flood or other emergencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,258,838 to Aldeen describes a chest that has a tray that moves up when the chest is open. Today""s jewelry chest has this type of tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,158 to Vogelgesang et al describes a pull down shelf assembly that is spring biased which assists in returning the shelf to the up position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,347 to Vogelgesang describes a pull down shelf assembly using a different spring biased from U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,158 which also assists in returning a shelf to the up position.
U.S. Pat. No. 876,159 to Erickson describes a drawer that can be pulled out sideways to obtain access to contents in the drawer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,822,229 to Carlson describes a section of a desk top that can rotate downward and is spring biased.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,179 to Weidner describes a spring biased retractable suspension shelf.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,322,648 to Lundstrom describes a disappearing support for business machines and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,846 to Close describes a pull down display and storage apparatus for cabinets in a commercial store.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,629 to Hansen describes a combination pivotable shelving having an associated pivotable door.
None of the above patents provide a simple pull down storage shelf assembly that is free from springs or complex linkage assembly as in the present invention and also requiring numerous parts which are very difficult to use and assemble. What is needed is a simple, low cost mechanism that can be attached to a cabinet by a lay person without having to resort to an experienced cabinet maker.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a pull down shelf assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to use a pull down shelf assembly in a standard wall cabinet by cutting off the ends and using the existing shelf.
It is yet another object of the present invention to maintain the upper storage shelf member in a level position through its travel from the up position to the down position.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide access to items on the upper shelf member when the pull down shelf assembly is in a down position.
Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a pull down shelf assembly that provides access to items on a shelf that was otherwise inaccessible when the shelf is in the up position. The pull down shelf assembly in the present invention is designed for a standard wall cabinet that has fixed dimension and is further described in this application.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.